There’s some talk out there that Georgia might be on the downswing. I’m not a huge fan of Mark Richt as a coach (though he seems like a really nice guy), but when I look at the pieces he has in place this fall on offense, I’m quite impressed.

Besides featuring the second-best receiver in the country in A.J. Green, the Bulldogs have uber-talent Orson Charles at tight end (he could end up the best in the country at that spot when it’s all said and done), a veteran offensive line that returns five starters (with 155 career starts), an emerging star in tailback Washaun Ealey (backed by the more-than-capable Caleb King), plus some top-flight young talent on the bench waiting to explode (WR Marlon Brown, WR Rantavious Wooten).

So leaving aside that the defense only returns five starters, why all the question marks? I guess it’s because Georgia’s success appears to hinge upon the development of redshirt freshman quarterback Aaron Murray. But I’ve seen tape of the guy and he’s a gamer. I see him as an Eric Zeier type who’ll end up being a definite upgrade over 2009 starter Joe Cox. By season’s end he should be one of the better quarterbacks in the SEC. It doesn’t hurt that the he’ll have some of the best talent in the country to help with his maturation process.

Will the Bulldogs take the SEC title? Probably not. But I think 10 wins and an SEC East title is a real possibility, which is why Georgia is one of my surprise teams for 2010.